Air conditioner

ABSTRACT

In an air conditioner, the air conditioner includes a casing having an indoor space region and an outdoor space region; an indoor unit installed in the indoor space region, sucking air and cooling the sucked air through a first heat exchanger, an outdoor unit installed in the outdoor space region, sucking air and releasing heat of the air to the outside through a second heat exchanger; and a turbo fan installed in the outdoor space region for generating air flows so as to flow air to the second heat exchanger.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

BACKGROUND ART

An air conditioner is for adjusting temperature, humidity, air currentin a certain space so as to be appropriate for activity of human beingand removing dust, etc. from air simultaneously.

The air conditioner consists of an indoor unit for cooling/heatingindoor air and an outdoor unit for discharging/absorbing heat generatedin the indoor unit to outdoors, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit canbe installed separately or as one body.

In particular, an air conditioner having an indoor unit and an outdoorunit as one body is called a single unit type air conditioner or awindow type air conditioner (hereinafter, it is referred to an singleunit type air conditioner).

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view illustrating the conventionalsingle unit type air conditioner.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the conventional single unit type air conditionerincludes a casing 10 having an indoor space region 21 and an outdoorspace region 31 separately formed by a separation plate 11; a compressor12 installed in the indoor space region 21 and compressing refrigerantinto high temperature and high pressure state; an outdoor unit 30 beinginstalled in the outdoor space region 31 and having a condenser 32 forcooling the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 12; and an indoorunit 20 installed in the indoor space region 21 and having an evaporator22 performing heat exchange between the refrigerant condensed in thecondenser 32 and indoor air.

A motor 13 is installed at the center of the separation plate 11, a fan23 for generating an air flow is installed at a rotational shaft 13 a ofthe motor 13 in the indoor space region 21 in order to make suckedindoor air pass the evaporator 22, and a cooling fan 33 for generatingan air flow is installed at the rotational shaft 13 a of the motor 13 inthe outdoor space region 31 in order to make sucked outdoor air pass thecondenser 32.

In general, a turbo fan is used as the fan 23, and an axial fan is usedas the cooling fan 33.

In the conventional single unit type air conditioner, when power isapplied, the compressor 12 compresses the refrigerant in the operation,the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 12 releases heat to theoutdoor air sucked by the cooling fan 33 while passing the condenser 32,and accordingly the refrigerant is cooled.

The refrigerant cooled while passing the condenser 32 flows to theevaporator 22, performs heat exchange with the indoor air sucked by thefan 23 and cools the indoor air so as to be at a certain temperature.

Herein, condensate water is generated on the surface of the evaporator22 while the indoor air is cooled.

The air conditioner includes a condensate water discharge unit (notshown) for discharging condensate water generated in the operation tothe outside, and a flow channel (not shown) is formed at a bottom region14 of the casing 10 in order to make the condensate water flow from theindoor space region 21 to the outdoor space region 31 smoothly.

In more detail, the condensate water condensed on the surface of theevaporator 22 flows to the bottom region 14 of the casing 10 and flowsto the outdoor space region 31 along the flow channel.

The condensate water gathered in the bottom region 14 of the outdoorspace region 31 is generally discharged to the outside by the condensatewater discharge unit (not shown), etc. However, part of the condensatewater can be scattered onto the condenser 32 by a scattering unit (notshown), etc. additionally installed or installed at the end of a wing ofthe cooling fan 33 in order to cool the condenser 32 more efficiently.

In the meantime, the conventional single unit type air conditioner canbe installed in any space, but, it is generally installed at a window.However, because of the structure, there is a limit to adjust a width ora height of the air conditioner while securing a certain coolingperformance.

In more detail, in the conventional single unit type air conditioner,because it is installed at a window, installation conditions may beintricate, in addition, it may injure the view.

TECHNICAL GIST OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of thepresent invention to provide an air conditioner that is capable ofhaving a structure adjustable a height freely.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, it is another object ofthe present invention to provide an air conditioner that is capable ofadjusting a height thereof freely and cooling a condenser moreefficiently by using condensate water.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, an air conditioner inaccordance with the present invention includes a casing having an indoorspace region and an outdoor space region; an indoor unit installed inthe indoor space region, sucking air and cooling the sucked air througha first heat exchanger; an outdoor unit installed in the outdoor spaceregion, sucking air and releasing heat to the outside through a secondheat exchanger; and a turbo fan installed in the outdoor space regionfor generating air flow so as to make air flow in the outdoor unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view illustrating the conventionalsingle unit type air conditioner;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an air conditioner in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a section of the air conditionerin FIG. 2 taken along a line III-III;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a section of the air conditionerin FIG. 2 taken along a line IV-IV;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a section structure of a turbofan of the air conditioner in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a conceptual view illustrating a structure of a bottom regionof the air conditioner in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of an air conditioner inaccordance with present invention will be described with reference toaccompanying drawings.

As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the air conditioner in accordance withpresent invention includes a casing 100 having an indoor space region210 and an outdoor space region 310; an indoor unit 200 installed in theindoor space region 210, sucking air and cooling the sucked air througha first heat exchanger 220; an outdoor unit 300 installed in the outdoorspace region 310, sucking air and releasing heat to the outside througha second heat exchanger 320; and a turbo fan 330 installed in theoutdoor space region 310 for making air flow to the second heatexchanger 320.

The indoor space region 210 and the outdoor space region 310 areseparately formed by a separation plate 110 installed in the casing 100.

In the indoor space region 210, a cross flow fan 230 for sucking theindoor air and making it pass the first heat exchanger 220 and an indoorguide portion 240 for guiding the indoor air flow are formed. And, a fanof any other type can be used as an apparatus for generating air flow inthe indoor space region 210 besides a cross flow fan.

And, a driving motor 231 for driving the cross flow fan 230 is installedat a certain side of the indoor space region 210 of the casing 100. Byinstalling the cross flow fan 230 in the indoor space region 210, aheight of the air conditioner can be lowered.

The first heat exchanger 220 is an evaporator constructing arefrigerating cycle of the air conditioner in accordance with thepresent invention, the first heat exchanger 220 is installed at thefront of the casing 100 in the direction of the indoor space region 210,and cools the indoor air by performing heat exchange between refrigerantpassing the first heat exchanger 220 with the sucked indoor air.

And, a compressor 120 for compressing the refrigerant passed from thefirst heat exchanger 220 is installed at a side of the casing 100.

In the outdoor space region 310, an outdoor air guide portion 340 forsucking the outdoor air from the upper portion of the outdoor spaceregion 310 of the casing 100, passing the sucked outdoor air through thesecond heat exchanger 320 installed at the side of the outdoor spaceregion 310 and discharging the air to the outside is formed.

The second heat exchanger 320 performs a function of a condenserconstructing the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner inaccordance with the present invention. And the second heat exchanger 320is installed at the side wall of the outdoor space region 310 and, whenthe outdoor air passes the second heat exchanger 320, heat of therefrigerant is released to the outside.

As depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, the turbo fan 330 is installed on theoutdoor air guide portion 340 perpendicular to a bottom region 140 ofthe casing 100 in the outdoor space region 310, and at the same timeforms a part of the outdoor air guide portion 340.

In more detail, the turbo fan 330 includes a suction portion 335connected to an outdoor air suction portion 341 formed at the upperportion of the outdoor space region 310; a discharge hole 332 formedtoward the second heat exchanger 320; and a hub 333 connected to arotational shaft of a driving motor 331 operated by the driving motor331 fixedly installed at the bottom region 140 of the casing 100.

And, a scattering unit 350 is installed at the lower portion of the hub333 of the turbo fan 330 in order to scatter condensate water gatheredin the bottom region 140 to the second heat exchanger 320.

The scattering unit 350 includes an extended portion 351 extended fromthe lower portion of the hub 333 toward the bottom region 140; and ascattering protrusion portion 352 projected from the outer circumferenceof the extended portion 351.

The scattering protrusion portion 352 can be embodied in several formswithout departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof,a plurality of scattering protrusion portions can be formed on the outercircumference of the extended portion, or a ring-shaped scatteringprotrusion portion can be formed.

A scattering guide portion 353 is formed at the bottom region 140 in theoutdoor space region 310 in order to make condensate water gatheredaround the extended portion 351 of the scattering unit 350 be scatteredto the second heat exchanger 320 more efficiently.

The scattering guide portion 353 is formed at the outer circumference ofthe scattering unit 350 at which the second heat exchanger 320 isinstalled so as to be inclined from the bottom region 140, and thescattering guide portion 353 has an arc shape.

In the meantime, a motor protecting member 354 is extended-installed atthe bottom region 140 in order to protect the driving motor 331 from thecondensate water scattered by the scattering unit 350 or prevent thecondensate water from flowing towards the driving motor 331.

In addition, a condensate water flow path 141 is formed at the bottomregion 140 in order to make the condensate water flow from the indoorspace region 20 to the outdoor space region 310. In order to improve ascattering efficiency, a plurality of inclined portions 142 are formedat the bottom region 140 in the outdoor space region 310 so as to makemore condensate water gather in a portion corresponded to the scatteringunit 350.

In the above-described structure, the more condensate water stays in thescattering unit 350 by the bottom region 140, and the larger amount ofcondensate water is scattered to the second heat exchanger 320. Arrowsin FIG. 6 show flows of the condensate water.

The large amount of condensate water is scattered to the outdoor spaceregion 310 by the scattering unit 350, herein, a scattering preventiveunit 143 for protecting the indoor space region 210 from the scatteredcondensate water can be installed.

The operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the presentinvention will be described in more detail. Herein, general operationswill be abridged for convenience.

In the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the presentinvention, condensate water is formed in the first heat exchanger 2, thecondensate water flows along the condensate water flow channel 141 andstays in the bottom region 140 of the outdoor space region 310.

The turbo fan 330 sucks the outdoor air while being rotated by thedriving motor 331 and makes it pass the second heat exchanger 320continuously. In that process, the scattering unit 350 installed at thehub 333 of the turbo fan 330 scatters the stayed condensate water.

In more detail, when the condensate water is scattered by the scatteringprotrusion portion 352 of the scattering unit 350, the condensate watercan be evenly scattered to the second heat exchanger 320 by thescattering guide portion 353 with the air flow formed by the turbo fan330.

The condensate water scattered on the surface of the second heatexchanger 320 is evaporated with the flow of the outdoor air, in thatprocess, the second heat exchanger 320 is cooled, and accordingly heatof the refrigerant flowing in the second heat exchanger 320 is releasedto the outside.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, itshould also be understood that the above-described embodiments are notlimited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unlessotherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within itsspirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore allchanges and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of theclaims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intendedto be embraced by the appended claims.

In particular, it is also possible to use a structure of an outdoor unitin accordance with the present invention for an air conditioner havingan indoor unit and an outdoor unit separately.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

In an air conditioner in accordance with the present invention, byarranging a turbo fan installed so as to be perpendicular to a bottomregion of a casing in an outdoor unit, it is possible to reduce noise inoperation of the air conditioner and adjust a height of the outdoor unitfreely, and accordingly it is possible to improve the view of a singleunit type air conditioner which is installed at a window.

In addition, in an air conditioner in accordance with the presentinvention, by using a turbo fan for an outdoor unit and installing ascattering unit for scattering condensate water to a condenser/outdoorheat exchanger, the condenser can be cooled more efficiently, andaccordingly it is possible to improve an efficiency of the airconditioner.

1. An air conditioner, comprising: a casing having an indoor spaceregion and an outdoor space region; an indoor unit installed in theindoor space region, sucking air and cooling the sucked air through afirst heat exchanger; an outdoor unit installed in the outdoor spaceregion, sucking air and releasing heat of the air to the outside througha second heat exchanger; and a turbo fan installed in the outdoor spaceregion for generating air flows so as to flow air to the second heatexchanger, wherein the casing includes a bottom region formed so as tomake condensate water formed in the first heat exchanger flow to theoutdoor space region, the turbo fan is installed perpendicular to abottom region, and a hub having a scattering unit for scatteringcondensate water gathered in the bottom region to the second heatexchanger is further included.
 2. The air conditioner of claim 1,wherein the scattering unit includes: an extended portion extended fromthe lower portion of the hub toward the bottom region; and a scatteringprotrusion portion projected from the outer circumference of theextended portion.
 3. The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein there are aplurality of scattering protrusion portions.
 4. The air conditioner ofclaim 2, wherein a scattering guide portion is formed around theextended portion of the scattering unit in the bottom region in order tomake the condensate water be scattered to the second heat exchanger moreefficiently.
 5. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein a motorprotecting member is extended-formed in the bottom region in order toprotect a motor for driving the turbo fan from the scattered condensatewater.
 6. The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein a plurality ofinclined portions are formed so as to be corresponded to the extendedportion of the scattering unit in the bottom region in order to make thecondensate water gather in the scattering unit installation portion. 7.The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein a scattering preventive portionis installed at part of the exterior of the scattering unit in order toprevent the condensate water from being scattered to the indoor spaceregion.
 8. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein a cross flow fan isinstalled in the indoor space region.